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BYU football players shake hands at the outdoor practice facility in Provo after finishing spring camp on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU football players walk off the field at the outdoor practice facility in Provo after completing spring camp on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU defensive ends line up for a drill at the outdoor practice facility in Provo during spring camp on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill talks to reporters after finishing spring camp at the outdoor practice facility on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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Fifteen practices in 39 days — and the BYU football team has completed its final camp as an independent program.

The Cougars wrapped up spring at the outdoor practice facility on Friday afternoon, expressing the expected generally positive report about what was accomplished.

“We just got better,” BYU junior defensive end Tyler Batty said. “We were able to really mesh as a defense. Learning learning a new scheme is one thing and then learning new coaches is another thing. We were doing both at the same time. The coaches came in and they set very clear expectations, which I think was awesome.

“I think it’s helped transform our team on the field, but also off the field. Our team culture has changed and also gotten stronger over the past six weeks. That alone has been really fun to watch and to be a part of.”

Cougar senior quarterback Kedon Slovis — who BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said will be the starter this fall — said he felt his biggest takeaway from spring was that he got more comfortable with the offense.

“It was about understanding everything and getting better,” Slovis said. “I worked to understand defenses better. (Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill) threw a lot of stuff at us. It’s trying to improve every day and kind of understand where we’re going to be in the fall, to kind of figure out where all the pieces fit together.”

Both Roderick and Hill saw some good things from their respective units but also see a lot that still needs to be done.

“We have a long way to go,” Roderick said. “We’ve got to get a lot better but we made some good progress. We saw a lot of development from some young guys and for the most part, we stayed healthy. This is the most physical spring we’ve had since I’ve been here and we had very few injuries. It was good for us, I think. I think it’s going to serve us well in the fall.”

Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill expressed similar sentiments as he talked about the defensive progression.

“I think the players handled the scheme very well,” Hill said. “I think they handled some of the change-of-pace things that we did in practice very well. And the depth chart solidified itself in a lot of places. In a lot of places, we still have a long ways to go as far as solidifying that depth chart. Overall, I think it was a huge positive. We stayed relatively healthy and that was another key factor that we wanted to accomplish.”

Hill said he believes that the increased contact is actually better in the long term for the overall health of the team.

“Being physical I think actually helps you stay healthier in the fall just because the players get used to the pounding, get used to the banging, get used to the tempo of which the games are going to attack them at,” Hill said. “I thought that was a huge part that Kalani and I and (Roderick) were all on board to do this spring. And it was fun to watch the guys get after it.”

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said he feels like some spots on the depth chart were sorted out during spring but he could still see some changes over the next few months.

“I think we have a pretty good idea of who those guys will be,” Sitake said. “There will be some names to add, too. They will add depth and competition, but I think the bulk of our group is put together pretty nicely right now.”

Now the next step is making sure the team has as many guys as possible ready to contribute in the fall.

“The biggest thing to work on is just continuing to develop our depth,” Roderick said. “I think we have a really good first team and then we have some young players who are learning and figuring it out who have a lot of ability but aren’t there yet. Those 29 practice opportunities you get in the fall are going to be huge.”